Rainy was rescued from the heavy rain when he was a kitten, circa aged 1 month old. He has been living with us for 8 months now. When he reached 5 - 6 months old, we started looking for information about sterilization, including the location and the price.
This is our first experience of neutering our cat and the journey of seeking a suitable place for it.
Way #1 : Vet Clinic
A few months ago, I asked the staff of the vet clinic the we used to visit, about how much it costs to sterilize a male cat there. She said it cost around IDR 2 - 3 million ($136 – 204 USD) including a 3-day stay and medication.
It seems so expensive, we can't afford it. When I discussed it with my husband, he remained calm and said, "If we really have to spend that much money to sterilize Rainy, we'll do it. The money will come to us or we'll find another way to do it."
So I tried to keep calm and think about The Alchemist quote by Paulo Coelho: "And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." So if we want to sterilize our cat, the cat will be sterilized. One way or another.
Way #2 : Free Program
One day, one of my neighbors took her cat to the vet clinic. I thought the cat was sick, but no, the cat was going to be neutered there – for free! Apparently, it was a free sterilization program from the local government, in collaboration with several vet clinics as their partners. How come I didn't know anything about that?!
So I searched for that program information in the internet. It said that it uses a quota system, allowing only 20 cats per month. We have to register our cat to get into the waiting list for the sterilization schedule. Since there are so many registrants, the waiting list can reach 2-3 months. And my neighbor's cat has been registered since 2.5 months ago.
The location of the free sterilization program can change every month according to the location of the vet clinic. We're not comfortable with this program, so we're looking for another way.
Way #3 : Sterilization Foundation
I found 1-2 foundation sites that are organized sterilization programs with subsidies from the government. It's not free, but the price is much lower and it is held at the foundation's clinic. But, the location is far from our place.
Both free and subsidized sterilization programs have no inpatient facilities or medicines. Cats can already be taken home a few hours after the operation. Post-surgery care is entirely undertaken by the cat owner at home. We think it's okay, but we're not okay with the location. So let's move on.
Way #4 : Cat Shuttle Service
The quote "What you seek is seeking you" is real. In this case, it's called an algorithm. Since I was looking for information about a sterilization program, I got some things that related to my search.
An ad image appeared on my Twitter timeline. It's a sterilization program promotion ad for June. The price is much cheaper than the sterilization at the clinic. For a male cat, it's only IDR 400K ($27.20 USD) includes shuttle transportation, 3-day stay facilities, and two collars.
I contacted the number listed in the ad and asked if the program is still available for July. At that time, Rainy was sick so I think he needed time to recover, and July is safe for him. They said it's available for every month.
Apparently, their services are everything about cat care, including cat fostering and shuttle service. They pick up and deliver cats that want to be sterilized or vaccinated from the owner's house to the clinic and vice versa.
They're in collaboration with an environmental foundation that organizes cat sterilization every day with subsidies. The foundation itself is located quite far from our place, so the pet shuttle service is really helpful. Feeling fit for the program, we finally signed up for Rainy.
So that's it. One way or another, we’re gonna sterilize our cat. Not at a price of 2-4 million IDR, but 400K IDR only, plus we got some extra facilities. I'm so grateful!
To be continued…
Thanks for dropping by. Have a nice day!
All pictures are mine, taken with Redmi Note 10s